BERKELEY — Former Berkeley Planning Commissioner Zelda Bronstein on Thursday filed a statement of intent to run for Mayor Tom Bates’ seat in the November election.

Bronstein, who sat on the Planning Commission from 1997 to 2004 and led that board for the last two years of her term, joins Berkeley gadfly Zachary RunningWolf in the race to unseat Bates.

“I’m running because I’m very concerned about the direction that Tom Bates is taking Berkeley,” said Bronstein, 58.

Bronstein accused Bates of “backroom deals” and “cronyism” when approving development plans in the city.

“Don’t get me wrong, I support sensitive development. Development has to benefit the community, and that criteria is not being exercised in Berkeley right now.”

Bates, 68, filed his paperwork to run for a second term last month.

Bronstein is a retired university professor who taught American literature at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has served on the Thousand Oaks Neighborhood Association for a number of years and was president from 2000 to 2005.

In addition, Bronstein has written commentary and a column for the Berkeley Daily Planet. She said Thursday that she has taken a leave of absence from the paper while she makesher first bid for office.

Bates, who was elected mayor in 2002 after serving 20 years in the state legislature, filed his statement of intent to run for a second term as mayor on Feb. 14, proclaiming — in honor of Valentine’s Day — that he loved Berkeley and had a lot of unfinished work to do.

The upcoming mayor’s term will be two years, instead of the traditional four. In 2004, voters approved a one-time change for the mayor’s 2006 term to align the 2008 mayoral election with the next U.S. presidential race to boost voter turnout.

Also challenging Bates will be RunningWolf, a 43-year-old former member of the Peace and Justice Commission whose campaign platform will include banning genetically altered foods in the city and at UC Berkeley.

Official election paperwork isn’t due until July, but by filing a statement of intent and a statement of organization, candidates can form a committee, receive donations and spend money on their run for office.

"There is a general recognition that we don't need these military-style weapons in New Zealand, so it's very easy to win cross-party support for this," said Mark Mitchell, who was defense minister in the previous, center-right government and who supports the ban initiated by the center-left-led Labour Party.